KVIC develops first Cow Dung Paint – Khadi Prakritik Paint

On 12th January 2020, Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways & MSME Sh. Nitin Gadkari launched an innovative new paint – India’s first Cow Dung Paint. The Cow dung Paint has been developed by Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) and named Khadi Prakritik Paint.

Khadi Prakritik Paint – India’s 1st Cow Dung Paint

Khadi Prakritik Paint is an eco-friendly, non-toxic paint with anti-fungal, anti-bacterial properties. The paint is cost-effective, odourless and has been certified by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). The speciality of the paint is that cow dung is the main ingredient.

Khadi Prakritik Paint is available in two forms – distemper paint and plastic emulsion paint. The project was conceptualized by KVIC in March 2020 and later developed by Kumarappa National Handmade Paper Institute (KNHPI), Jaipur (a KVIC unit).

Both distemper and emulsion paints are available in white base colour, and it can be developed in any color by suitably mixing colorants. The paint can be applied on interior as well as exterior walls.

The paint is free from heavy metals like lead, mercury, chromium, arsenic, cadmium and others. It will be a boost to local manufacturing and will create sustainable local employment through technology transfer. 

This technology will  increase consumption of cow dung as a raw material for eco-friendly products and will generate additional revenue to farmers and gaushalas. Utilization of cow dung will also clean the environment and prevent clogging of drains.

Khadi Prakritik Distemper & Emulsion Paint has been tested at the 3 reputed National Laboratories – National Test House, Mumbai, Shri Ram Institute for Industrial Research, New Delhi, National Test House, Ghaziabad.

The paint has successfully passed various test parameters such as application of paint, thinning properties, drying time and finish, among others. It dries in less than 4 hours, and has a smooth and uniform finish.

Khadi Prakritik Emulsion paint meets BIS 15489:2013 standards; whereas Khadi Prakritik Distemper paint meets BIS 428:2013 standards.

The paint is priced at only Rs. 120 per litre for the distemper, and Rs.225 per litre for the emulsion, which is less than half the price charged by big paint companies.